Posted 2/20/2014 11:45 AM (GMT 0)
I have been posting here recently about my current flare of IBS and I continue to have some questions. I have noticed that whenever I take Zantac I get terrible diarrhea and when I take either Zantac or Prilosec I get shortness of breath. I am 66 and have stomach/IBS issues since my twenties. Sometimes it will subside for years but this time is back with a vengeance, probably because I'm under immense stress. I thought back to a couple of years ago when I was having another bout of IBS...I was taking Prilosec once or twice a day and was suffering from severe shortness of breath. AT the time I didn't connect the two and was just sure I had COPD since I had been a smoker for many years. I didn't go to the doctor because I was scared to death of what I would be diagnosed with but when my stomach started to improve, I stopped taking the Prilosec and the shortness of breath stopped. I credited that with the fact that I had started a regimen of CoQ10 which is supposed to be wonderful for the heart and lungs (which I continue to take) but I'm wondering now if it was, in fact, my taking the Prilosec. So this time I started Zantac instead but found it gave me diarrhea AND shortness of breath. Recently I read that Zantac and Prilosec can have the side effect of shortness of breath and should be discontinued if that occurs. So obviously I have stopped but wondering if anyone has had this side effect. I have to be honest, however; I can't understand how an anti-gas medication can cause shortness of breath. Any advice? Thanks. Andrea